Caltech Transformer Flies, Rolls, and Walks!

GlobalSpec.com reported 30 June on a fascinating transforming robot that can navigate different types of terrain and autonomously employ its different locomotion modes to negotiate unstructured environments. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology developed the robot, and published the project in the Journal Nature. Note that the wheels rotate, and rotors in the wheels then provide lift. The transformer project abstract explains the design: “Robot designs can take many inspirations from nature, where there...